Posted on 10/29/2003 5:21:37 AM PST by JesseHousman
WASHINGTON (AFP) - George W. Bush hosted a Ramadan dinner with US Islamic leaders, as the White House was besieged with demands to fire an army general whom made comments some say makes the US-led war on terror out to be a war on Islam.
General William Boykin's comments surfaced two weeks ago, in which he likened the US battle against terror to a battle between Christiandom and the Muslim world, placing the Bush administration in an uncomfortable position.
While the Pentagon (news - web sites) has opened its own investigation, it has also said that it does not expect to ask Boykin to resign. He continued to serve as a undersecretary of defense for intelligence, in charge of tracking down Osama bin Laden (news - web sites) among others.
Bush invited Muslim leaders to an Iftar, the evening feast that breaks the dawn-to-dusk fast Muslims observe during the month of Ramadan. He organized the first White House Iftar after bin Laden and al-Qaeda launched the September 11, 2001 attacks on New York and Washington.
"America is a land of many faiths and we honor, and welcome and value the Muslim faith," Bush said in opening remarks before the meal.
At a mid-day press conference earlier Tuesday, Bush said that the controversial Boykin "doesn't reflect my point of view or the view of this administration."
"Our war is not against the Muslim faith."
"Americans think terrorists are evil people who have hijacked a great religion," Bush said, responding to a reporter's question.
Such statements, however, did not quell the Boykin controversy.
"The obvious response to the Boykin case is to say that because he is now under-secretary of defense for intelligence, he should be relieved of his post," The Washington Post said in an editorial Tuesday.
Boykin made his questionable speeches while wearing his military uniform before conservative Christian groups whom Bush will woo as part of his 2004 reelection campaign.
"It is highly likely that Bush himself, a genuinely devout Christian by all accounts, agrees with at least some, perhaps much, of what Boykin said," the Post speculated.
The US president had just returned from a tour of Asia, which included a three-hour stopover in Indonesia, which has the world's largest Muslim population. He also met with several leaders of Muslim countries at the Asian-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC (news - web sites)) forum.
"Muslims are completely wrong to think that the US is engaged in a war against Islam," New York Times columnist Paul Krugman said.
"But that misperception flourishes in part because the domestic political strategy of the Bush administration -- no longer able to claim the Iraq (news - web sites) war was a triumph, and with little but red ink to show for its economic plans -- looks more and more like a crusade."
Does that mean we should round up and kill your computer??
BTW .. j/k
.You're being evasive. What religions?
I know of no other Christian or Jewish denominations that advocate killing your enemies before they deserve killing.
Only islam stands by itself...which it should to be identified and shunned by all.
No, but your response is saying that you would let out bit more line to muslim killers (and child rapers...remember, they like 9 year old girls...) and shorting the line on s small segment of Catholics that have committed evil acts.
It's plain to see on whose court you're more comfortable playing. Do you have an axe to grind?
A motivated idealogue can be very driven and accomplish much because of passion and deeply held beliefs. Greens are an example of this as were Nazis and the true believers in communism.
Combine the mindset of an idealogue with that of a religious zealot possesing a 3rd grade education and a gutful of rage and you wind up with something the communists couldn't have dreamed of having on their side. These guys make the WWII Japanese - kamikazes and all - look weak willed. Look what it took to put the Japnese down, now multiply that by ten.
We must start thinking outside of the box. Conventional wars European civility and misplaced Christian sensibilities will accomplish nothing in the long run. For every Taliban we kill they have 10 of their children waiting to replace them.
The only way we'll stop them is by putting everything they hold dear at risk. Their family, their religion, they're government, their property.
Yes CJ there is a time to kill and a time to employ abject brutality. We will learn one way or the other that only way to defeat brutality is to out brutalize it. It's an E=mc squared thing. My fear is that we may have become to soft to to win this. We need a King Richard.
That and to have the Lord's blessing.
Actually, though you may be, I'm not playing at all. I'm thoroughly disgusted with your blanket condemenations of all religions except your own. I just threw that out there to see how honest you were being.
I got my answer.
Your articulation and comprehension skills are missing and are worthy of pity!
I condemn only the muslim religion as one of total evil, seeking only to urge adherents and excuse them of killing "infidels."
If you're a muslim, perhaps you'd better find another vehicle for transportation to paradise.
This is a holy war regardless of what the PC crowd crows!
Your inuendo and back-handed insult to AAABest snidely insinuating that he was somehow suggesting that children be killed in this war is just wrong-headed nonsense.
Children are, indeed, being killed in this war Jihad. Their satan-inspired parents strap explosives around their waists and send them on their way to meet allah!
These people are wacko, mind-numbed robots who have read too much of their (un) holy koran.
Unfortunately, Americans are fed their news through a filter.
In the area where I live there are two cases of muslims raping children then skating off to Saudi Arabia and never reappearing for trial.
Atta and his buddies may have hung out in stripper bars, but these perverted misfits couldn't get to first base with an adult female.
In their country if they rape a nine-year-old it is SHE that is stoned to death for being a whore.
In the area where I live there are two cases of muslims raping children then skating off to Saudi Arabia and never reappearing for trial.They of course are the only religion whose members have been known to molest children :sarcasm:
-Eric
Oxymoron.
(sarcasm)
libertarian-conservativeLibertarians and conservatives who are not "cultural conservatives" have much more in common than either has with liberals. President Reagan, do a degree, was a libertarian-minded conservative. Since he was the greatest President of the last century, it's hardly an oxyliberal.Oxymoron.
-Eric
You were the one that pinged me first and continued to do so the last several times in a row you silly neurotic. I never pinged you once except in response to your incessant chattering directed at me.
No argument!!!!
Good question. I wish I could answer it with a simple yes or no. Many Christians are turned off over this pandering to Islam, and Christians have proven in the past that they will take out their discontent at the poll. But many accept, grudgingly, that GW is better than the alternative -- the lesser of two evils.
I don't see anyone on the horizon for whom I would vote over GW (note that if there was someone, I would vote for that person whether or not s/he could win -- I vote my conscience).
Speaking between us Christians, I think GW is helping (unwittingly? Or is it just misguided?) to advance the rise of Babylon -- it goes beyond whether he's burning his Christian base vis a vis the next election! I have a friend who thinks that the enemy advances slower under a Christian president.
What about you, kiddo? What do you think?
<><
I haven't met one in the past few weeks who is stunned by Bush's pandering the Muslims.
What is amazing is that Bush either could care less or has absolutely no clue he is alienating countless millions of Christian voters.
I talk to many who believe Bush won't be reelected.
I will vote for him - but I appear to be a dwindling segment of what was a huge support base for Dubya.
And Dubya's announcing last Thursday that he was having Lt. General Boynton (sp?) investigated for speaking out his own personal opinion that the idealogy of Islam is a very real and imminent danger to the American way of life is disturbing - quite disturbing.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.